Also known as : Farina-based models

In this gallery, we take a look at some of the names used to sell various versions of the Farina-styled saloon and estate models in overseas markets…

Austin A55 Cambrian

Home market name: Austin A55 Cambridge MkII

Cambrian was chosen because it was thought that Cambridge would have infringed a Canadian copyright; just before the launch, the lawyers gave the go-ahead to use the original name.

Austin Freeway

Home market name: based on Austin A60 Cambridge

Introduced in 1962, the Freeway used an Australian-built 2.4-litre 6-cylinder engine, and lasted until 1965. It was available in saloon and estate body styles, and there was also a Wolseley version, known as the 24/80 (see below).

Riley Pick-up 1500

Home market name: N/A

Before it was named the Di Tella, the Siam corporation built CKD Rileys under licence in Argentina. This is the pick-up version

Picture kindly supplied by Henk Schuuring

Riley 1500

Home market name: Riley 4/72

Saloon version of the Siam produced Riley (see above).

Picture kindly supplied by Henk Schuuring

Riley Comet

Home market name: Riley 4/72

Little is known about this model, other than that a brochure was produced for the Austrian market featuring the new name. However, only UK-market cars are depicted, with no sign of a “Comet” nameplate. Any further information on this model would be greatly appreciated; we’d particularly like to know whether the cars actually carried a “Comet” badge, and if so, whether this was applied at the factory or by the importers or dealers.

Picture kindly supplied by Graham Arnold

Riley Fordor

Home market name: Riley 4/68

Siam di Tella 1500

Home market name: Riley 4/68

Siam di Tella Automotores was founded in Argentina in 1959, building a range of saloons and estates based on the BMC Farinas. They also produced a unique pick-up version of the Riley, called the Argenta.

The Siam di Tella Argenta (mentioned above) wasn’t the only Riley-based derivative built uniquely for the Argentinean market: here we see the Traveller version. Of course, BMC never saw fit to launch an estate car version of any Riley model in the home market.

Picture kindly supplied by Graham Arnold

Siam di Tella Magnette

Home market name: MG Magnette

Wearing Siam di Tella’s distinctive stylised “S” badge in place of the MG octagon, this was a saloon-only companion to the Riley-based models. Introduced in 1963 with the same 1500cc engine as the basic di Tella model, it was uprated the following year to become the Magnette 1622.

Picture kindly supplied by Graham Arnold

Wolseley 24/80

Home market name: based on Wolseley 15/60 and 16/60

Upmarket counterpart to the Austin Freeway was this Australian Wolseley derivative, using the same 6-cylinder “Blue Streak” engine, producing 80bhp from its 2.4-litres (hence the model name). A mid-1960s revised version was referred to in the brochures simply as the “BMC Wolseley Mark II”, although the 24/80 badge could still be seen on the boot lid.

Wolseley 300

Home market name: Wolseley 6/99 and 6/110

In an attempt to borrow some upmarket appeal (from Mercedes-Benz), the Danish distributor DOMI used the 300 name on the 6-cylinder Wolseleys from 1959 onwards. This proved to be a successful move, with these models outselling the contemporary Westminsters and Princesses by more than 2 to 1.

Based on information submitted by Erik L¿ye and Henk Schuuring

Wolseley 4/60

Home market name: Wolseley 16/60

Ever since the demise of the 4/44 in the mid-1950s, home-market 4-cylinder Wolseleys had ceased to use the number of cylinders as the first part of the model name, instead citing the engine capacity in decilitres. In Holland, however, the number of cylinders continued to be used, perhaps with the aim of achieving consistency with the Riley naming convention.